1700 European engineers began working with motor powered vehicles.Steam,combustion and electrical motors had all been attempted by 1800.By the 1900 people where unsure what type of motor to use to power an automobile with. At first the electric car was the most popular but they did not have battery's that would allow a car to move with much speed or over a long distance. Even though some of the earlier speed records were set by electric cars they did not stay in production past the first decade of the 20th century.The steam-driven automobiles lasted into 1920's. But the price on steam powered engines either to build or maintain was incomparable to the gas powered engines. Not only was the price a problem but the risk of a boiler explosion also kept the steam engine from becoming popular and usable. The combustion engine continually beat out the competition and the early American automobile pioneers like Ransom E Olds and Henry Ford built reliable combustion engines rejecting the ideas of steam or electrical power from the start.
The history of a automobile from 1700 to 2014
1700 European engineers began working with motor powered vehicles.Steam,combustion and electrical motors had all been attempted by 1800.By the 1900 people where unsure what type of motor to use to power an automobile with. At first the electric car was the most popular but they did not have battery's that would allow a car to move with much speed or over a long distance. Even though some of the earlier speed records were set by electric cars they did not stay in production past the first decade of the 20th century.The steam-driven automobiles lasted into 1920's. But the price on steam powered engines either to build or maintain was incomparable to the gas powered engines. Not only was the price a problem but the risk of a boiler explosion also kept the steam engine from becoming popular and usable. The combustion engine continually beat out the competition and the early American automobile pioneers like Ransom E Olds and Henry Ford built reliable combustion engines rejecting the ideas of steam or electrical power from the start.